The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:53 am**

attempt to build 4 apartments with almost no construction knowledge. I am quickly finding out that the drainage is not the piece of cake i naively assumed.

The problem i have is that i have an existing public foul sewer on the site and a combined sewer out in the road. For cost reasons i am trying to avoid connecting up to the system in the road, but i am aware that i have virtually nil chance of being allowed to connect the storm into the on-site foul sewer.

There is not the option of a soakaway as i do not have anywhere on the site that would give me 5m from roads or buildings, and there is no watercourse available.

I have no space to the rear of the proposed building or to the left side. I only have a 2m strip along the right side of the building and about 6m from the front of the building to the footpath (this area will contain parking spaces).

Is there a cheaper alternative to running the storm out into road, such as using a French drain (not entirely sure how these work!)?

Any advice would be much appreciated?

Super website by the way - just hope there are equivalent's for brickwork, floors, electrics, roofing etc., etc.

Cheers

Posted: **Tue Feb 06, 2007 6:33 am**

Sounds like an ambitious project!

Surely your plans should have covered the drainage?

Posted: **Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:43 am**

Yes the plans do cover the drainage - they suggest going out in to the road, which i am trying to avoid.

I was hoping that one of you guy's would propose something a little more innovative and cost-effective.

Any ideas?

The bco has suggested the possibility of a grey water system, but he didn't seem to know too much about them to really be of help.

Posted: **Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:58 am**

If i have no choice but to go out into the public sewer in the road, do you have any idea what the costs could be?

I have spoken to several contractors who are typically vague.

Also what are the restrictions on my own guys carrying out the work? I have been told that we need special certification to work there - can anyone explain what this would involve?

Many thanks

Posted: **Tue Feb 06, 2007 10:46 am**

French drains - these are rarely, if ever used, on new builkd projects nowadays. They are 40 years out of date.

Grey water system - needs a storage tank, which requuires a deal of space that you seem not to have, and also needs to be 5m from any building.

Cost: How long is a piece of string? How deep is the sewer in the road? Will there need to be traffic control? What's the ground like? What size of chamber will be required? You'd be lucky to get anything for much less than 6 grand, but I've known relatively simple sewer connections that have cost 32 grand because of the ground/traffic conditions.

And yes! the installation operatives MUST, by law, be cerificated for work in confined spaces and in sewer construction. The work will be overseen by you LA or the local utility agency, and they will insist on proper certification, traffic control, safety measures, rescue kit, etc. For this reason alone, you are much better off using a suitably qualified civils contractor.

The Brew Cabin

New build drainage problems - I have been stupid enough to...